Facebook For iPad Now Officially Available For Download

It’s been a long time coming, but it is finally here: Facebook for iPad has been officially announced and has been made available for download. Get the download link after the jump!

Starting today, in addition to your smartphone or feature phone apps, there’s a new way to experience Facebook—the iPad app. Now you can enjoy your favorite parts of Facebook, combined with the best of the iPad.

From official Facebook for iPad page:

A New Way to Experience Facebook (now on iPad, too)

Enjoy bigger, better photos Your photos take on new life on the iPad. They’re big, high-res and easy to flip through—like a real photo album.

Focus on what matters With less on the screen, it’s easier to zoom in on your friends’ photos, updates and stories.

Navigate anywhere, fast Just tap, slide or pinch to get from one screen to another and back again in no time.

Never lose your place Use simplified navigation to send a message, see your notifications or browse your bookmarks without switching screens.

Play games on the go Play your favorite Facebook games wherever you are, and on a bigger screen.

Tap to send messages A simple dropdown menu makes it easy to scan and send messages without visiting your inbox.

What’s New in Version 4.0

With improved search and browsing, the facebook.com features you use most are now just a touch away. It’s a faster, fuller

Facebook for iPhone. – Games & Apps: Play games and access your favorite apps on the go – Navigation: Send a message or see your notifications from any screen, and swipe to browse Facebook without losing your place in

News Feed – Bookmarks: Your groups, pages and apps are all in your left-hand menu, and the ones you use most are right on top – Search: Search for anything on Facebook—people, apps, pages and more—without having to click around or switch views – Security: We’ve added a few updates to make the app more secure

Facebook really took their time with the official iPad app. According to one of the developers who worked on the app, it has been feature complete since May but Facebook, for one reason or another, decided to delay it. Perhaps Apple forced the company into delaying the app so that it could be a part of today’s Let’s Talk iPhone event announcements.

Facebook for iPad was actually leaked back in July in the form of hidden code inside the Facebook for iPhone app. We even published a guide on how you could install it on your iPad. Facebook later blocked the app, but the jailbreaking community released a tweak called FaceForward which let users re-enable Facebook for iPad.

There won’t be need to have your iPad jailbroken anymore though, as the Facebook for iPad app has been officially released. This universal app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is available for download right now and, as with all Facebook apps, it is completely free. Get it while it’s hot!